STREAM Activity: Sunny Dream Catcher

Celebrate the sun with a dream catcher!

Activity best for children ages 2 and up

The sun is the biggest star in our solar system. Without it, our planet would be dark and cold. Even though it takes about 8 minutes for light from the sun to reach us here on earth, the sun provides lots of heat that keeps us warm (and sometimes a little too warm, like in the summer!). Without the sun, it would be too cold for our planet to survive. The sun takes care of us in more ways than we know. Today, we are celebrating the sun for taking care of us and allowing us to have fun during the day and sleep comfortably at night. Let’s celebrate the sun and make a Sunny Dream Catcher!

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Materials:

Paper plate

Puncher or pencil

Yarn

Pencil

Scissors

Coloring materials (optional)

Guiding Questions:

What are some of your favorite things to do during the summertime?

Do you prefer warmer weather or colder weather?

Directions

Step 1

Cut triangle sunshine rays out of yellow or orange paper. For this example, we used 8 triangles.
If you don’t have colored paper, you can always use white paper and color it.

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Step 2

With a grown-up’s help, carefully cut out the inner circle of your paper plate.

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Step 3

Punch holes all around the inner part of the paper plate. This will be for the yarn to go through. You can use a hole puncher or poke a hole using a pencil.

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Step 4

Cut a long piece of yarn. The longer the yarn, the more space you will be able to fill within your plate. Tie one end onto one of the holes that you punched to keep it in place.

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Step 5

Thread the other free end of the yarn through different holes. You will soon see your yarn cross over and intersect one another. Repeat this step until you reach the end of your yarn or until you’re happy with your dream catcher web.

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Step 6

Cut off any excess yarn and tie the end to the last hole of your choice.

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Step 7

Glue down your yellow triangles around the outer part of your paper place.

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Step 8

Punch 2 holes towards the top of the plate and cut a piece of yarn, about 10 inches. Tie each end to a punched hole and your Sunny Dream Catcher is complete!

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Grown Ups-Are you looking for more ways to extend your child’s learning? Check out these extension activities to build upon today’s STREAM activity!

Reading Connections

And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner

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Real-World Connections

Today, we took the time to appreciate the sun for always taking care of us. Showing our thanks and appreciation for someone or something is called gratitude. Showing your gratitude is a nice way to let someone know how much you love and appreciate the things they do for you. We can also express gratitude for certain things–in this case, we are thankful for the sun for taking care of us and would like to show our gratitude by making a Sunny Dream Catcher!